See & Do

Yes I know that we  did Leicester very shortly ago—-but I wanted to include everything as Leicester as it’s not a common stop on a lot of people’s schedule and, well—maybe it should be……

Are you ready to get a taste of Leicester and Leicestershire? 

 

We will leave from

 

IHG Hotel

128 St. Nicholas CT

Leicester, LE1, SLX, UK

 

Please note that while I give you direction on this blog I very much urge you to get a map—directions on lion are wonderfu—My directions are merely there to give you a referene as to how far and how long your journey might be and ocassionally may be missing a bit though i try not to do that —I’d feel better if you go on line or get a map of your own to get about the sites.

 

 

Richard III and Leicester’s Greyfriars Church: A Historical Detective Story.

 

 

The King Richard III VIsitor Center

in Leicester is a place to learn of the life of a king as well as his death and it allows you to do so at the same site that all this was discovered in most of your life times.  Yes this use to be a carpark in the center of the city which also just happened to be the site where Greyfriers Church once stood.

 

 

Head Southeast toward Nicholas CIr/A47

Turn Left onto St. Nicholas Circle/A47

Continue to follow A47

         Coninue onto Peacock Ln

Wars of the Roses

]

Richard was created the Duke of Gloucester in 1481 after his brother became King Edward IV.  Richard married Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. Richard governed northern England during Edward’s reign, and took part in an invasion of Scotland in 1482.  Edward died in April 1483 and Richard was named the protector of the realm for his Edward’s oldest son who was 12-years-old at the time:  Edward V—his coranation was set for June 22, 1483, but before this could happen there was  evidence  that his parents were not legally married due to a betrothal with another woman which with Royals and in that period could have resulted in just that.  They went on to offer the crown to his brother Richard and he was crowned on July 6, 1483 and the princes

(Edward and Richard)

were reportedly last seen sometime in or shortly after August of that same year Rumors (some say these started after Henry Tudor took the throne as Henry VII.) say

 

Continue onto St. Martins

 

There were two rebellions against Richard one by a former supporter Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham which was unsucceful in October 1483.  A second was in 1485 and inolved Henry Tudor and his Uncle Jasper Tudor who was landed in Wales and came  with a contingent of French troops and recruiting some English ones along the way.  The two armies Richard’s and Henry’s met at the town of Market Bosworth–Richard was slain and Henry ascended the thone as Henry VIi.

 

 

 

Destination wil be on the right in 144 feet

 

 

Richard’s corpse was taken to Leicester (near by) and buried reportedly with out a ceremony—there has been speculation that there was an original tomb that was removed during the English Reformation—but I have read other accounts that believed he was put here in an poorly—if at all—marked grave to discourage those loyal to him making this a point of rememberance and possibly rebellion.

 

When I studied this history it was accepted that the “hated” king’s body was at some time thrown into the River Soar and lost forever.

 

Then in 2012,

Philippa Langley

and the

Richard III Society

Commissioned an archaeological excavation on the former Grey Friars Priory site.  The University of Leicester ID’ the skelton found there as Richard III–using radiocarbon dating, Comparison w/contemporary reports of his appearance, ID of trauma reported sustained at the Battle of Boworth Field and mitochondrial DNA comparison with two matrilineal desendants of his sister Anne.  He was reburied at Leicester Cathedral on March 26, 2015.

 

Lady in lead:  Mysterious lead coffin found near the former grave of King Richard III

 

 

 

 

King Richard III Visitor Centre

 

 

Pay Homage to England’s last warrior king,, and see for yourself the very spot in the car park where King Richard III remained undiscovered for so long…..

Recommended 90 min for visit

 

 

Leicester Cathedral sits opposite the Visitor Centre 

Head west on St Matins toward New Street

 

 

 

 

Burials found beneath Leicester Cathedral during restoration

 

Cathedral building  is closed and the worship there has temporarily left the building until autumn 2023  so you can walk by the building but not enter it at this time—-the picture shows Richards tomb  as it is today and as you would see it—-if you could go inside the cathedral–Tourism like worship is not taking place in the church at this time.

 

 

The original purpose of the gate way was to make a grand entrance into the religious collegiate precinct of Newarke.  In 1330 Trinity Hospital was established by Henry, 3rd Earl of Leicaster along the south side of the castle wall.  His son who was  Duke of Leicester founded a collegiate Church of the Annunciation of St Mary which houses a holy relic—reportedly a thorne from Christ’s crown at his crucifixion.

 

Turn left onto Southgates

The Gateway was completed about 1400 .  In 1967 the wall was built over by the James Went  Photographs prior to this show that there remained walls up to 9′ 8″ (feet or—-3 in metres)

Turn right toward Oxford St/VaughtWy./A594

 

 

 Also in the 1960’s an inner ring road scheme resulted in the Magazine being stranded inside roads running on both sides—and only reachable by an underpass for pedestrians.  By 1969 it had become a museum for the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.  It continued as this till 1996 when it’s location and need for repairs ended its usefulnes and the musum as moved to the Newarke House Museum.

 

THE MUSEUM OF THE ROYAL LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT

 

 

  Turn left onto Oxford St/Vaughn Wy./A594

 

 

In 2007 the treatment of the Grade 1 listed Gateway was finally addressed with a filling in of the underpass which allowed the street level on the west side to be brought back to the level the Magazine set on. The road was actually shifted entirely to the east side of the gateway and the area west became an area for pedestrians and a gateway to Newarke.  Which also allowed for student space as De Montfort University as well  the Business and Law School are nearby .

Destination is on the right

 

 

 

The Newarke Houses are located next to Leicester Castle in the most historic part of the city. The two buildings are different styles and ages but together they help show us the development of the city.

 

 

 

These houses were used during the

Seige of Leicester (1645)

during the

English Civil War.  

The two properties were sold in 1908 and while Chantry House remained a private residence, Sheffington became a school for boys.  Both were aquired and converted to the museum in 1953 as part of a celebratiion for Elizabeth II’s coronation.  The first floor of each buiding represents the builidngs in the 17th c.

 

Changing Leicester – The story of how Leicester’s past has been revealed

 

                            Picture of museum

Turn Right toward the Newark

 

 Among the items in the museum are various items of

Daniel Lambert

an 18th century resident of Leicester who weighted over 750 lbs. and was famous for being Britain’s largest man and remains famous in the city’s legacy,  Items on display include items of his clothing and his chair.

 

Turn left onto the Newarke

Destination will be on the right

 

and once again we move on—-  This time to a church:  St. Mary de Castro (St. Mary of the Castle)  an ancient church near Leicester Castle.  Today it is a parish church for the

Church of England‘s

Diocese of Leicester.  It was founded in 1107 when Henry I took lands and castle from a rebellious owner and awarded it to Robert de Beaumont.  The church was thought to be collegiate at this time—but there are other thoughts on it start–regardless the college was disbanded in 1548 by Henry VIII.

Head southwest on the Newarke toward Castle VIew

 

 

The early 12th c church underwent a major expansion in 1160 including a north aisle, doorways to the north and west–these door ways created an external Noman zigzag patern.  The Normans also added to the Chanel extension which is described as the “finest piece of Norman decoration in the country”  Later a huge east window of the south aisle was created around 1300.

 Turn right onto Castle View

Destination will be on the right.

St Mary de Castro Church, Leicester

Church History

After you visit the church—or if you decide not visit it: 

Head west on Castle View

In 151 ft turn right

 

It was 1173 when

Henry II’s three eldest sons

led a rebellion against their father with support from others in the royal court including several magnates and Robert de Beaumont the 3rd Earl of Leicester.  During this time Henry’s forces laid seige to the town of Liecester and burnt most of it and the castle was partially demolished and some of it’s ditches filled—this wasn’t uncommon for this King as it was found to be one of 21 (or more) castles that Henry had destroyed.

Turn Left

Take the stairs

312 Ft.

 

Kings of England that stayed at this castle included

Edward I 

This is the King you might remember from the movie Braveheart—Nicknamed Long Shanks for his height

Edward II

This was the son of Edward I and the husband of the French Princess who eventally becomes Queen and messed around a bit with Wallace (no proof they ever really met—but you know Hollywoo) in Braveheart

 

John of Gaunt and His 2nd wife Constance of Castile 

An important Duke who died here in 1399 and his wife in 1394

 

Turn left toward the Newarke 

407 ft

 

It did eventually become a Royal residence during the reigns of Henry IV, V, and VI as well as Edward IV but by the mid 15th c it was no longer “suitable” and became a court house with sessions in the Great Hall and even ocassional sessions of Parliament—especially the Parliament of Bats (1426) when it couldn’t be held in London.

 

Turn RIght onto the Newarke

220 ft

Turn right onto Western Blvd

157 ft

Turn right

453 ft

 

The Castle Gardens

 

are located along the Canal Bank

Jewery Wall 

This wall is believed to be a wall from the Roman baths as well as foundations  that are laid out along this same wall.  It is about 2,000 years old  and is the second largest such wall remaining in Britain.  It is reportedly the wall that once seperated the gymnasium and cold room.

 Head South toward Western Blvd;

453 ft

 The remains of the baths were excuvated in the 1930s and are from around 160 AD. the baths and their walls are joined by the  Jewery Wall Museum (built 1960’s) contains local Roman mosaics and wall plaster.  There has been no conection made between the  town’s small origional  Jewish population which was expelled in 1231 by Simon de Montford.

 

Turn right onto Western Blvd

180 Ft

Turn right

361 feet

Turn right

 

 

University of Leicester

the birthplace of DNA Fingerprinting

 

St. Nicholas Church

With a significant LGBTO worshiper population

 

                     The GuildHall

Medieval Museum and venue–reputed that Wm Shakespeare appeared here in the late 16th century.

 

And while this isn’t a place to see it is an event you very much might enjoy:

The Largest Diwali Celebration outside India

Indians account for around 28% of the population of Leicester